A federal appeals court on July 24 ruled 2–1 against Oregon’s requirement that prospective adoptive parents support the “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” of children they’re seeking to adopt.
“A state’s general conception of the child’s best interest does not create a force field against the valid operation of other constitutional rights,” such as the free exercise of religion and speech, U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress wrote for the majority of a split U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel.
Jessica Bates, a Christian mother of five, whose husband died in 2017, was compelled to adopt after hearing a religious broadcast, according to her lawsuit. She wanted to adopt a pair of siblings under the age of 10, and opted to pursue domestic adoption….